e made out a fresh
one to-day--that's why she had a headache when she came to meet you.
But what's the good of statements? They won't pay the bank."

"But why--why--" repeated Connie, and then stopped, lest she should hurt
Alice's feelings.

"Why did we get into debt? I'm sure I don't know!" Alice shook her head
helplessly. "We never seemed to have anything extravagant."

These things were beyond Connie's understanding. She gave it up. But her
mind impetuously ran forward.

"How much is wanted altogether?"

Alice, reluctantly, named a sum not much short of a thousand pounds.

"Isn't it awful?"

She sighed deeply. Yet already she seemed to be talking of other
people's affairs!

"We can't ever do it. It's hopeless. Papa's taken two little
school-books to do. They'll kill him with work, and will hardly bring in
anything. And he's full up with horrid exams and lectures. He'll break
down, and it all makes him so miserable, because he can't really do the
work the University pays him to do. And he's never been abroad--even to
Rome. And as to Greece! It's dreadful!" she repeated mechanically.

Connie sprang up and began to pace the little room. The firelight played
on her mop of brown hair, bringing out its golden shades, and on the
charming pensiveness of her face. Alice watched her, thinking "She could
do it all, if she chose!" But she didn't dare to say anything, for
fear of Nora.

Presently Connie gave a great stretch.

"It's damnable!" she said, with energy.

Alice's instinct recoiled from the strong word. It wasn't the least
necessary, she thought, to talk in that way.

Connie made a good many more enquiries--elicited a good many more facts.
Then suddenly she brought her pacing to a stop.

"Look here--we must go to bed!--or Nora will be after us."

Alice went obediently. As soon as the door had shut upon her, Connie
went to a drawer in her writing table, and took out her bank-book. It
had returned that morning and she had not troubled to look at it. There
was always enough for what she wanted.

Heavens!--what a balance. She had quite forgotten a wind-fall which had
come lately--some complicated transaction relating to a great industrial
company in which she had shares and which had lately been giving birth
to other subsidiary companies, and somehow the original shareholders, of
whom Lord Risborough had been one, or their heirs and representatives,
had profited greatly by the business. It had all been m